


Stumbling toward Happiness

by Mira



Category: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2007-04-26
Updated: 2007-04-26
Packaged: 2017-10-15 15:22:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,366
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/162192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mira/pseuds/Mira
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Only you, Rodney McKay, would seek to comfort a pregnant woman with such words."</p>
            </blockquote>





	Stumbling toward Happiness

**Author's Note:**

> Written for [Fan_this](http://fan_this.livejournal.com) as part of the [Sticks and Snark Rodney and Teyla Thing-a-Thon](http://community.livejournal.com/sticksandsnark/).

John elbowed Rodney so hard that his fork clattered into his tray. "What?"

"Stop staring at Teyla," John said.

"I'm not staring at Teyla." John glared at him. "I was staring at, well, technically, I was staring at her breasts." Rodney whispered the last word. John rolled his eyes. "No, seriously. Do you think they're bigger? I mean, look." He gestured toward Teyla, standing with Elizabeth near the entrance to the mess hall.

John took his time, narrowing his eyes at Rodney first, then turning toward Teyla.

Ronon sat across from them, his tray precariously loaded. "I noticed her tits, too," he said, taking a big bite of the meat of the day.

"Ronon!" Rodney and John whispered in unison.

"Thank god it's noisy in here," Rodney added. "Bad enough that we're, you know, _looking_ at them. Her. That we were looking at her." Ronon snorted, and John sighed, but Rodney continued. "So they are bigger?"

Ronon nodded, swallowed, and said, "Tender, too."

Rodney gaped at him. "You know this because?"

"Training. She had some trouble, had to put on another," he gestured toward his own chest, "band thing."

"Bra?" Rodney whispered. Ronon shrugged.

"Can we please not discuss our teammate's lingerie?" John asked, rubbing his forehead.

"Lingerie," Rodney said, and gazed into space. He'd had a girlfriend who wore a lacy red bra when she was in the mood for sex. He'd loved that bra. Matching red lace panties, too, but mostly he wanted her out of her panties. Her breasts nestled in the soft scoops of lace, though; one of his favorite memories. She used to wear the bra under one of his white dress shirts when she stayed the night.

"Rodney? Earth to Rodney?" John snapped his fingers in front of Rodney's face.

"Yeah, yeah." Teyla and Elizabeth left, and he went back to his dinner.

Ten days later, Rodney said to John, "Teyla's, um, her --" he gestured toward his chest, "her, she _is_ bigger. And her hips, too, I think."

"Will you knock that off?" They were sharing a log, watching Teyla negotiate with some people who had heard of some people who mined a kind of metal that Radek thought might be useful. Ronon stood behind her, head bowed respectfully, or maybe watching her ass. Rodney couldn't tell.

"I'm just saying," Rodney began. "Don't you look at women? I know you look at women; I've watched you look at women. Usually ascended or about-to-ascend women, but still."

"Yes, I look at women, and yes, I look at Teyla. She's a lovely woman. And if she is, you know, putting on a little weight, that's none of our business. She's just." He stared across the clearing at her. "Shapely."

"She was always shapely," Rodney said, pulling at the grass beneath them. "She's goddamn _buxom_ now."

"Next you'll be telling me she's Rubenesque."

"She would kick your ass if she heard you."

"You're the one who started it, always asking about her breasts. Oh, hey." John scrambled to his feet, Rodney following. "Teyla, Ayvedro."

"John. Ayvedro is willing to accompany us to the border of the Bugan's territory. It is a three day walk."

"Um," Rodney said, trying to nod his head toward the cloaked jumper.

"Do you think it's worth three days?" John asked her.

Teyla put a hand to her breast; Rodney's eyes followed compulsively. He realized she looked tired, and watched as she leaned back a bit, as if her back ached. "You're pregnant," he said.

"McKay!" John snapped.

Ronon's eyes widened and he said uncertainly, "Teyla . . ."

She stood straighter, her head held high. "Ayvedro, would you excuse us for a moment?" Ayvedro bowed, and backed away.

"Goddammit," John said. "Look, I'm sorry, he's sorry, tell her you're sorry, McKay."

"I'm sorry, Teyla, but you are. Aren't you? You look like my mum when she, when Jeannie." He sighed. "Am I right? Did you know?"

"Yes, Rodney, you're right, and I knew." She stood as regal as a queen, and as aloof. "I was planning to tell the three of you when we were back in Atlantis."

John's mouth was open as he stared at her. Rodney nudged him. "Sorry," he said. "Um. Congratulations?"

"Thank you."

"Who," Ronon said, and it sounded like a threat, not a question.

"That is none of your concern, Ronon." She hesitated and then added, "But the father will not share our lives."

"Why not?" Rodney asked. "Who did this to you, Teyla? Why aren't you with him?"

"Rodney," John said. "Mind your own business. Teyla will tell us when she wants to. Ah. Won't you?"

"Perhaps we should return to negotiations?" Teyla suggested.

"No," John said. "No, we're going back to Atlantis, and we'll meet with Beckett, and you have to take care of yourself. You're _pregnant_ , Teyla."

"I am pregnant, John," she said slowly and firmly, "not disabled. And we will continue negotiations. It would be rude and wasteful to stop now. Do you wish to walk to the border, or shall we tell Ayvedro about the puddlejumper?"

"Puddlejumper," Ronon and Rodney said simultaneously.

"Yeah," John agreed. "No way do we walk three days." Teyla frowned at him, but he added, "Rodney's got too much work to do in the lab to be away that long, right, Rodney?"

"Of course," Rodney said. He looked at John, who looked nervous, and at Ronon, who glowered, and then at Teyla. "Congratulations, Teyla," he mumbled.

She lowered her head. "Thank you."

"Ayvedro," John called, rescuing Rodney, and they flew Ayvedro and three of his companions to the border where they met the Bugan who, it turned out, didn't mine anything but had found the remains of an Ancient outpost on another planet. The mineral had come from there. They gave Teyla the address but warned there was little left after so many millennia.

In Atlantis, Rodney stayed in his labs, eating with Radek and the others from the labs rather than with his team. He thought about going to Carson, but the doctor wouldn't talk without Teyla's permission, and even if he would, Rodney wasn't sure he wanted to know.

When he did see Teyla, it was at meetings or across the mess hall or passing in the corridors. Lorne's team seemed to be doing most of the missions, his and Stackhouse's; Rodney knew John was behind that.

Rodney continued training with Ronon, though, or as he called it, getting beat up by him. "Focus," Ronon kept telling him, but he found it impossible. The third time he landed on his knees gasping for breath, Ronon sat down beside Rodney, flipping his baton like a cheerleader's. "Teyla," he said when Rodney could breathe again.

"Yeah." He sat back, trying to fold his legs the way Teyla did in meditation. "Oh god, how does anybody do this?"

"She talk to you?"

"Not a word," Rodney said. "You?"

Ronon shook his head, his dreads tumbling around his shoulders. "I tried to ask her, but she says it doesn't matter who the father is."

"Does she know that she doesn't have to keep it? I mean, how far along is she?"

"She knows, Rodney. She wants it. She says if not now, when?"

They sat quietly. Rodney thought about children, about the future they implied, the amount of work they took, their noise and mess, and how fragile they were. He remembered Jeannie as a baby and how much he adored her tiny fingers clasping his. He'd been there for her first bite of solid food, and her first steps, and her first word, which to this day he believed was "Mer," not "Ma."

Ronon clapped him on the back. "One more round," he said. "And keep your eyes on me." He pulled Rodney to his feet and put the baton in his hand. "Firm but loose grip," he said. "Like you're holding your dick."

"Jesus," Rodney muttered, but he relaxed his death grip and focused on Ronon.

Almost a month after they'd learned that Teyla was pregnant, she called them over the radio and asked them to her quarters for tea. Rodney was late, rushing from the lab. John and Ronon were already there, sitting on pillows on the floor. "I never get any better at this," he complained, settling cautiously on a flattened ball of a cushion.

"Practice," Teyla said, but she smiled at him and handed him a cup of tea, the sweet kind he liked. After he'd sipped at it, Teyla said, "Thank you for coming. I want to discuss the future of this team."

Rodney's stomach flipped, and for the first time he imagined the three of them going off-world without her. It wouldn't be possible. None of them was any good at negotiation, and not even Ronon's contacts were as extensive as Teyla's. He stared helplessly at her.

She was, he knew, beautiful, but right now, he thought she'd never been more so. Her breasts were bigger, and her hips rounder, and she was starting to show, just a tiny bit, but her clothing revealed the bulge. A rush of emotion shook Rodney, filled his throat so he couldn't speak. He would do anything, he knew, to protect her, and he knew that John and Ronon would, too. She slowly reached toward him, and he took her hand.

Then Ronon seized her and held her tightly, pressing his face into her neck. Rodney scooted closer and hesitantly stroked her arm, then hugged them both. He closed his eyes and held on. In a few heartbeats, he felt John beside him, and then John's arms went around Rodney and Teyla. The four of them stayed there for a long time, just holding on.

"Well," John said, pulling away suddenly. "Yeah, the future. Who do you recommend as a replacement?"

Teyla said, "Halling and I have discussed this. We believe there are three possible choices. There is my paternal cousin, Enin; Halling's niece, Toba; and a young man who has already traveled to many worlds, Hanso. You should meet them, come to know them. Will you come with me to the settlement?"

"Yeah, of course. Good. Um. Will you stay in Atlantis? Or in the settlement?"

"Atlantis," she said firmly. No one asked why.

In his bed that night, Rodney remembered their team hug, and Teyla's calm, Ronon's ferocity, and John's silence. They were all so shitty at communicating, even Teyla for all her negotiating skills. And who's child was it, anyway? Did that matter? Was the guy a jerk? Was the baby an accident?

He flopped onto his stomach, tugging at the sheets. It didn't matter, he knew. What mattered was Teyla. But the other questions irritated him like sand fleas, until they drove him from his bed. He dressed, thinking to return to the lab, but found himself heading toward Teyla's room again.

He stood in the corridor for a long time, trying to understand why he was there. To comfort Teyla? In all honesty, he didn't think she was the one who needed comfort. To reassure himself, he decided, and there was no need to disturb her sleep for that. He forced himself to turn away when her door slid open. She stood there in her sleeping clothes, blinking at him. "Come in," she said, and he did, standing awkwardly by the door while she went back to her bed and sat.

"Teyla," he said, but he had nothing else to tell her. He took a deep breath and crossed the room, holding onto the bed to support himself as he sat on the floor in front of her. "Hey," he said, looking up.

"Hey," she said, and smiled at him. To his surprise, she touched his head, lightly stroking his hair.

"Getting thin," he joked.

"Getting distinguished," she corrected.

He sat for a while, finally beginning to relax, and then she nudged him closer, so he rested his head on her knee. He sighed.

"You are worried for me," she said, and he nodded, She continued to stroke his head. "Pregnancy is frightening for me also. My mother died in childbirth. I'm not sure I know how to be a mother, especially now that Charin is gone. But this gift has come to me, and I rejoice. I rejoice."

"I guess I do, too," he admitted.

"I will need what Doctor Beckett calls a _coach_ when the baby is born. Will you be my coach?"

He lifted his head to stare at her. "But, I thought, Elizabeth, or Colonel Sheppard?"

She shook her head. "The colonel would not, I think, wish to see me in labor. Elizabeth would if I asked, and I will if you say no. But you saw the baby before anyone else. I think that means something."

"Teyla, I might pass out. I don't know how good a coach I'd be."

"Would you come with me when I talk to Doctor Beckett?"

"Oh, hell, yeah."

She laughed softly. "I would like that enthusiasm for my child."

"I can't believe it," he said, and stared at her belly. Seated, she showed even more, her tummy well rounded. She leaned back a little, took his hand, and placed it on her abdomen. He closed his eyes. He felt no tiny kick, but he still knew that another person was in there.

After a minute, he pulled away. "Well, sure. I'm honored. But you know what they say about kids? They're psychotic dwarfs with good prognoses."

She laughed again, louder and happier. "Only you, Rodney McKay, would seek to comfort a pregnant woman with such words."

"Still want me as coach?"

"Very much. I'd like my baby to enter the world laughing."

He wasn't sure if that was a compliment or not, but he'd told her the truth; he really was honored to be asked. "I'll do my very best," he promised, and he meant it with all his heart.

"Baby, wow," he repeated to himself regularly. Radek would nudge him to remind him to get back to work, or Sheppard would kick him under the table to draw his attention back to the meeting, but mostly Rodney read about pregnancy, labor, and childbirth, and felt mildly queasy in the mornings. Coffee started to smell bad to him. He wondered if he were suffering from _couvade_ , but decided against telling anyone, especially Carson. Instead, he ate more antacids, and took slightly better care of himself. He also made sure that Teyla ate and rested well.

"Why you?" John asked him one night over the chessboard.

"I asked her that," Rodney admitted. "I thought she'd ask you. But she said you wouldn't want to see her in labor."

John made a face. "Yeah. Yeah, that's true. But I gotta say I have a hard time imagining you there."

"I told her I might pass out. She has more confidence in me."

"Is there anything . . . Never mind." John stared at the board, and moved a pawn.

"Is there anything what? That you can do to help? Shit, yeah." John looked up at him. "I'm freaking out. You can, I don't know --"

"Tell you to knock it off? Buck up?"

"You buck up," Rodney said sourly, but he grinned despite himself. "Yeah. Something like that."

"I can do that."

They played for a while longer, and then Rodney put down his knight. "I miss the team."

John nodded. "Let's get Ronon. Watch a movie or something."

They packed up the chess pieces and board and hurried to Ronon's quarters. He wasn't there, so they tried the gym; he was lifting weights.

"Hey, big guy," Rodney called. "Movie?"

He raised his eyebrows. "Now? Kinda late for you, isn't it?"

"We're on Atlantis time," John said. "Come on. McKay'll buy you a beer."

"I will? Yeah, I will. Bad beer, the Athosian kind, but still. Beer."

Ronon racked the weights and wiped his face with a towel. "Bad beer's better than no beer, and I went without beer for a long, long time."

"All right then," John said, and Rodney realized how lonely he'd been for his teammates.

"This sucks," he said on their way to John's quarters. "We never do stuff anymore. We should, I don't know. Do stuff."

"Like watch a movie?" Ronon asked.

"Yes, like watch a movie," Rodney said, "but all of us, together. Be a team."

"We used to play that game," John pointed out.

"But that was just us. The four of us went through the gate, and ate in the mess. Now I just see Radek. I know you both have stuff to do, but . . ."

"Yeah," Ronon said as they entered John's quarters. "Let's watch that Cash movie again. I like that."

"Excellent choice," John said. Rodney didn't complain. He sat next to Ronon while John set up his laptop, and they all squashed together to watch. Rodney thought they were sitting closer than they used to, but he relaxed into the warmth of his teammates, enjoying the music, and dozing. "We should go fishing," John said, waking him.

"Never really fished," Ronon said.

"Carson has equipment. I bet he'd let us borrow it. Next time Teyla visits the settlement, let's go."

"I fished," Rodney said sleepily. "For walleye, at Norse Lake. Years ago."

"Catch any?" John asked.

"Dozens," Rodney lied. "Dozens and dozens." He yawned.

They did go fishing, and Teyla went with them, though mostly she lay in the shade while Rodney made sure she was eating and drinking. She was getting bigger, and he worried if she was gaining too much or too little weight. She was just a little thing to start with; maybe the baby just looked big because her mum was small? He stood biting his lip, staring at her, until John or Ronon would jostle him and he'd get Teyla more of the cooled tisane she liked so much or show Ronon how to cast without throwing the hook into John.

They went several times, in fact, each time that Teyla returned to the settlement. Spring left and summer came, so Rodney slicked all his teammates in his homemade sunblock, and found hats for them, an enormous straw one for Ronon that fit over his dreadlocks, and a baseball cap for John that said _Mickey Mouse_.

Teyla kept getting bigger, and then one movie night she grabbed Rodney's hand and pressed it against her tight belly, thrumming like a drum. "Oh, Jesus," he moaned. "It's like in _Alien_." John smacked the back of his head, hard, and then Ronon leaned his head against Teyla's abdomen, and the three men crouched before her, fearful and in awe.

"I really am going to pass out," Rodney said to her one morning. "I'm so sorry, Teyla, but I just _suck_ at this. I'm terrified for you. How can I coach you? How can I, you know, _be_ there for you? I think maybe Ronon would be a better choice. Besides, he could kill the doctors if they hurt you or the baby."

"Rodney, you'll be _fine_ ," Teyla confidently interrupted his gabbling. She leaned over and kissed him on the lips, something she'd never done before. "I trust you. The baby trusts you."

"Thank you," he said unhappily. "But can I ask Ronon? Please? As backup, in case something happens to me?"

She laughed. "Yes, Rodney. Ask Ronon. And John can be his backup."

"John will suck more than I will," Rodney said, "but I'll ask him anyway so he'll feel part of the family." The minute the word _family_ left his mouth, he wanted it back. He clamped his mouth shut so fast and hard that he bit his tongue.

But Teyla looked fondly at him. "He is," was all she said, so Rodney hurried to find John and Ronon, out on their morning run, using the life signs detector until he tracked them down, popping out of the transporter just in front of them.

"Is it the baby?" John asked, his eyes widening.

"Yes, I mean, no, no, she's not having it, but I want to talk about it."

"Jesus, McKay," John said, and Rodney put his hands on his head in case John decided to smack him again.

"We need to talk," Rodney said, but they started jogging away from him. "At lunch, okay? Dammit!"

"We'll be there," Ronon said. "Come on, Sheppard. Pick up the pace, old man. You'll have a kid to chase pretty soon."

They pounded off, disappearing around the curve of the corridor. Rodney shouted after them, "Just be there!" He thought he heard Ronon laugh.

The men met at lunch in the mess hall; Teyla was lunching with Elizabeth again, no doubt discussing female things, Rodney thought. He studied the people around them: laughing, eating, reading, talking -- who was the father? Was he from Earth? An Athosian?

A balled-up paper napkin landed in his salad. "Hey," he said, flicking it toward John.

"Ronon asked you twice if you --"

"Yeah, get me some, too, thanks."

"What, you guys are telepathic now?"

"No, it's his turn to get the dessert. They give him more, so he goes one day and they give him a bunch. The next day I go and say it's for him, so they give me a bunch. Good system."

John stared at him. "Why do I know these things about my team? I don't want to know these things about my team."

"Speaking of the team," Rodney hunched forward and lowered his voice. "Who do you think the father is?"

John looked around as if the guy would suddenly identify himself. He shook his head. "We shouldn't speculate. Teyla would tell us if she wanted us to know. Besides, it could be an Athosian. Or anyone, really."

"So you don't think it's one of your men?"

"Could be one your scientists." Rodney stared at John. "Okay, probably not, but it's possible. That Doctor Dave is pretty good looking."

"What, you're checking out the men now?"

"Rodney!"

"I think it's some guy from Earth," Ronon said, dropping a plate of vanilla cake with sugary pink _anassa_ piled on top. "Good stuff."

"Why Earth?" Rodney asked, taking a huge bite. "I think it's an Athosian."

"Who's that guy with her now?" John asked, and they craned their necks. Teyla, Kate Heightmeyer, and Elizabeth were sitting with a handsome man with a shaved head.

"That's Laurent Gbagbo. He's an economist from the university of, ah, hm. Somewhere in Africa. Côte d'Ivoire, I think."

"Economist. Huh. What's he doing in the Pegasus Galaxy?" John asked.

"Oh, god, I don't know what any social scientist is doing in the Pegasus Galaxy."

"Good looking," John said. They all stared at Gbagbo. "You know, for a guy."

Rodney yelped and glared at Ronon. "That was my _foot_ , you great oaf."

"Eat your cake," Ronon said.

Rodney scowled, but took another bite. "S'good," he said indistinctly.

John sighed. "Well, Teyla doesn't want to tell, so I guess that doesn't matter. What matters is that we're, you know. There. For her."

"There for her," Rodney scoffed, but it was pro forma scoffing. He would be there for Teyla if it killed him.

And they were there for her. It was every bit as awful as Rodney feared, yet a thousand times better. Carson turned into someone else entirely, an intense, calm, kindly doctor who knew exactly what to say to Teyla. Rodney stood next to where she lay, holding her hand; he was sweating as if he were in labor. They'd been through the Braxton-Hicks, and a false labor, and then another false labor, and then Teyla's water had broken in the middle of the night, and now here they were, Rodney holding her hand, John and Ronon leaning against each other on the other side of the bed, while Carson and his nurses peered at Teyla's most private places.

She was sweating, too, because labor really was _work_ , and abruptly flung off her gown. "I'm sorry, I can't --" she gasped, but suddenly Rodney didn't care. He wiped her face and throat with a damp cloth, and the fact that he was staring at her nude body seemed no more strange than watching her negotiate or work out or meditate. She was just Teyla, completely Teyla now, concentrated Teyla.

Rodney held one of her hands, Ronon the other, and John crouched by her head, whispering to her, wiping the sweat from her face and her hair from her eyes, while she worked with Carson. "Ancestors!" she cried again and again. "Oh, Rodney, oh!" And when she began to swear, Rodney knew the baby was coming.

"Push, love!" Carson called, and Teyla's beautiful face contorted with effort, her grip squeezing Rodney's hand. Rodney found he was also holding hands with John, who was holding hands with Ronon, and the three of them stood around her like three wise men, only not so wise, Rodney thought, not very wise at all, and when a great gush of bloody liquid slopped out of Teyla he thought she was dying and he cried out, clutching John to him, but Carson said, "I see her head! Oh, love, keep pushing, yes, you're doing _wonderfully_ ," and Rodney remembered that _he_ was supposed to be coaching, so without thinking he kissed John, pushed him into Ronon's arms, and returned to Teyla.

"You're doing terrific," he murmured to her. "You're so strong, no one was ever as strong as you are, and we love you, Teyla Emmagen, we love you."

She opened her eyes for a moment, and flashed him a smile, before crying out again, "Carson! It _hurts_!"

"I know it does," he said, "I know but she's here, she's here," and a slimy seal creature slipped out of Teyla and more liquid and blood and white stuff and what might be shit, but Rodney didn't throw up or pass out. He just smiled down at Teyla, kissing her face again and again, and tried to tidy her hair.

After long minutes, long enough that Rodney started to get nervous, Carson finally said, "She's perfect. Here, mum. Take her now."

They had cleaned the baby a little, but she was still smudged with blood and shone with something oily. She was red and had a little thatch of hair on the top of her head but nothing else. She smacked her lips, and Rodney, watching himself in amazement, helped the baby latch onto Teyla's breast. "Oh!" Teyla said, and then softly, "oh."

For a moment, Rodney thought the world would end right then, with Teyla's baby in her arms, with the nurses bustling around them, cleaning up, and John and Ronon standing with him again as they watched in frozen silence.

Teyla looked up at them, exhausted, smiling, tearful. "Thank you," she whispered.

Rodney ordered himself not to cry. He blinked rapidly and swallowed, then took a deep breath. "Fuck," he murmured, and hugged John again, and felt Ronon hugging them both. "We have a baby," he said to them, and he laughed, though a little wetly.

"Yup," John said, wiping his face on his shoulder. "That we do." He punched Ronon's shoulder.

"All right, gentlemen," one of the nurses said; Catherine, Rodney thought, was her name. "You've done your duty. We're going to take care of Teyla for a little while. Come back in an hour. Go get something to eat."

Teyla looked so sleepy that Rodney didn't argue with the nurse but let himself be moved away and then out and finally to the mess. He was hungry, he realized; really hungry.

"A girl!" Ronon shouted when they entered. Only a few people were up that time of morning, but they all knew instantly what he meant and cheered, including the servers behind the counters and the cooks in the kitchen.

"What's her name?" someone asked Rodney, who shook his head. He'd never thought to ask Teyla what she'd name her baby.

They went back in an hour and found Teyla and the baby asleep, clean and in fresh clothing. Rodney stared at them in amazement. Just a few hours ago, there had only been Teyla. Now there was Teyla plus one. "The fifth member of our team," he murmured to John, who beamed. "You're the team leader, not the father," Rodney thought about saying, but didn't; in some way, they were all the father. At least, he figured that's the role they'd play. Or uncle. Male relatives of some sort.

They slept in Teyla's room that night, spreading blankets on the floor and talking quietly. John had brought beer, and Rodney had vodka that Radek had given him to celebrate with, and Ronon brought small clay cups he'd been given for helping build a bridge for the Athosians. They shared out the booze, remembering what had just happened. Rodney said, "I couldn't believe it when she pulled off her _clothes_ ," and that started them laughing.

"You used to stare at her tits," Ronon said. "It was annoying."

"Hello! She has beautiful tits. Wonderful tits. Oh, if only we could get her some lacy red bras. Can you imagine what her breasts would look like in red lace?"

"Rodney, you're moving toward the inappropriate," John warned.

"Oh, like you've never pictured that.'

"No, I have not," he said with great dignity. "I like lacy _blue_ bras."

Ronon shook his head, and lay down on the quilt. "We'll see a lot of them now, I guess. Feeding the baby and all."

Rodney lay down next to Ronon, and John next to him. "A baby. That's amazing. How can we take care of a baby?"

"We'll manage," John said, putting his arm over his eyes. "We always manage. Team Sheppard for the win."

"Awesome," Ronon said, making Rodney laugh.

"Yeah," he agreed. "Awesome. In all senses of the word." He sighed. He'd been up for nearly thirty hours and even though he hadn't had a baby, he felt as if he'd run a marathon. He closed his eyes and listened to John's breath even out, and Ronon's soft snores.

~ ~ ~

Reclining gracefully against a pile of their backpacks, Teyla said, "She'll be walking soon." She watched her daughter crawl at lightspeed along the pier, Ronon following her on all fours like a bear.

"Oh god, we'll never keep up then," Rodney groaned.

"Wait'll she starts talking," John said. "Why, Uncle Rodney? Why? Whyyyy?"

"She won't whine unless you teach her," Rodney said.

"You're a bigger whiner than I am."

"Am not,"

"Are, too."

"John, Rodney," Teyla said, and they quieted.

John edged over until he could rest his head on Rodney's thigh. Teyla was on the other side of Rodney, her head on his shoulder where they lay hidden in the shade of an overhanging balcony. "We should put more sunblock on her," Rodney said, but he didn't move; he was too comfortable nestled against the packs, and Ronon would look after her, he knew. He shut his eyes against the glare of the sun on the water.

"She sure is growing fast," he heard John say.

"Carson says she will probably be a tall girl," Teyla murmured. "He has charts that tell him this."

"She'll be a beautiful woman," Rodney said firmly. "Now, sleeping here."

John rolled his head back so he could look at Rodney. "Think we could persuade Her Highness to take a little nap?"

"She's ready now," Ronon said, carrying her to them. Her eyes were half closed already. She clambered over Rodney to her mother, lying on Teyla's stomach with her feet in John's face. He picked one up and kissed it.

Teyla began to hum an old lullaby, one she said Charin had sung to her. Her delicate voice soothed Rodney, as did the weight of her head on his shoulder, and John's in his lap, and Ronon at his side. He cracked open his eyes to see their girl fast asleep, her round cheeks puffing with each exhalation. Beside him, Ronon sighed deeply, snored once, and then again. He felt John relax into sleep, the tension in his neck and shoulders sliding away. Teyla hummed; waves splashed over the steps of the pier; the breeze drifted over them smelling of ocean and sunblock.

Rodney slept.

**Author's Note:**

> The amazing [Ciderpress](http:/ciderpress.livejournal.com) really should have co-author status for this story, she did so much work. Additional beta by my dearest darling the [lady_of_asheru](http://lady_of_asheru). Thank you both!


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